Irreplaceable
by marikyuun
Summary: Chat Noir's inferiority complex towards Ladybug keeps growing due to recent events and his insecurities about not having her full trust make him decide to approach her as Adrien instead. Meanwhile, Marinette finds out her crush is in love with her alter-ego and starts having second thoughts about keeping her identity a secret from him…
1. Chapter 1

"Bien joué!"

After another successful akuma capture, Rena Rouge gave Ladybug her miraculous back, like promised.

"Thanks for helping me out, Alya." the heroine said, putting the precious necklace carefully inside its box. She kept her gaze on it, frowning a little. "Chat Noir simply disappeared after his transformation wore out, so I would have been in a pinch if it wasn't for Rena Rouge!"

"It really is weird that he never came back after de-transforming, but I'm glad I could be of help!" Alya replied cheerfully and then winked. "You know where to find me if you ever need a new full-time partner!" her tone was playful, but it held a hint of pleading that Ladybug decided to ignore.

After they parted ways, the spotted protagonist rushed to the akuma victim, who was being comforted by Adrien Agreste. The young girl was apparently a hardcore fan of his and was left heartbroken – and consequently akumatized – after being told off by his photographer for interfering in his photoshoot. The whole story seemed a little ridiculous, but it's not like she could blame the girl for chasing after the model. After all, she could relate to her feelings a little.

After leaving the girl with the police officers and her parents, there was a beep coming from Ladybug's earrings, meaning she only had 2 minutes before she would turn back. After she waved goodbye to Adrien and turned around to leave the scene using her yoyo, she felt a tight grip on her arm, which caught her completely off guard.

"Please wait, Ladybug!" the boy implored, nervously. "I know you're in a hurry, but I really need to talk to you. Please meet me tonight at le Marché de Belleville. I will be waiting for you at 10pm."

Ladybug was so taken aback by his words she only managed to mutter an awkward "ok" before flying away as fast as she could. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Just what in the world could Adrien Agreste, the boy she had a colossal crush on, want to talk to Paris' most famous super-hero about?

After she found a safe spot and de-transformed, she held Tikki tightly against her chest.

"Did you hear that, Tikki?!" the girl squeaked, so happy she could swear she'd forgotten how to breathe for a moment. "He asked to meet me tonight!" she sighed, dreamily. Her mind was already with Adrien, somewhere far away from France.

"No, he asked to meet Ladybug." the kwami retorted, bitter and low. The girl could swear she heard her dreams shattering.

"Geez!" Marinette exclaimed, hurt at her friend's reaction. "Why so salty? I thought you would be happy for me!"

"No, I am!" Tikki gulped, choosing her words carefully. "I'm sorry, Marinette. It's just that I… have a bad feeling about this." The truth was she was worried that Adrien would have decided to reveal his identity to her. But there was no way she could tell her that.

Marinette's crush on the boy who also happened to be Ladybug's partner had never bothered her, because she trusted her owner wouldn't tell him about her identity. However, there was no way Tikki could control Adrien's behavior, especially when not even his kwami seemed to understand the catastrophe such a reveal would bring upon them as a team.

"Don't worry, Tikki!" Marinette reassured her, scratching her cheek gently. "He probably only wants to thank me for saving him or something! He's been getting caught up in a lot of akuma attacks recently after all!"

Adrien knew he had screwed up, once again.

He was present when that girl was akumatized, so he was fast to react as Chat Noir. However, he was forced to use Cataclysm a little too early in the game, because he couldn't fight the akuma on his own for too long. That caused him to de-transform only a little after Ladybug showed up and forced him to leave the battle to recharge.

The moment he transformed back into Adrien, though, he was spotted by the akuma, who, due to the nature of the akumatization, managed to seize him. Ladybug seemed to panic after seeing him be captured and immediately used her Lucky Charm, which probably told her to get help somewhere else, as she came back a few minutes later in Rena Rouge's company.

"I'm a useless partner." the boy murmured, burying his face in his hands.

Ever since Ladybug started bringing new miraculous holders into the picture, the secrets kept growing. The more akumas they defeated, the more he realized just how… dispensable he was. No matter how many times she told him he was irreplaceable, deep down, he knew he wasn't. Hell, he had spent most of their latest encounters either out of commission or just straight up against her.

Chat Noir was incredibly important to Adrien, as he represented everything he wanted to be - a free spirit who could do whatever he felt like and just blurt out whatever he wanted. Adrien wasn't like that, he couldn't possibly be like that. Adrien had responsibilities and schedules, a utopic reputation to maintain, not only to his father but to his fans and even his friends sometimes.

The boy sighed. It's not like he wasn't truly himself as Adrien, he was just… not his full, unchained self. Yet, he had obviously noticed how different his alter ego's admirers were from his own.

Chat Noir was popular amongst young boys because he was strong and quirky and made people laugh. However, there were very few girls who seemed to be interested in him, surprising as it was, especially after Carapace had made his debut.

Adrien, on the other hand, was way more successful with girls. He was also well liked by everyone in school, work, fencing and even in social media. That saddened him a little, but there was not much he could do but accept it.

His recent failed attempts to steal Ladybug's heart as Chat Noir, mixed with his obvious anxiety and inferiority complex towards her gave him a crazy idea. _If Adrien Agreste was more likeable than Chat Noir was, he would try to get closer to the lady of his dreams as his civilian form._ _Maybe she would be more willing to let him into her life._

"I think it could work. I'm sure even Ladybug will take you more seriously without that ridiculous bell on your neck." Plagg said, more invested in the thick slice of camembert he was sucking on.

The boy shook his head at his kwami's uninterested reply and suddenly felt a wave of confidence go through his whole body. He quickly jumped back on his feet and stared at his bedroom windows, grinning proudly.

"I can do this! Tonight, I will tell her how I feel."

Marinette and Adrien had both given the same excuse at home to leave their houses without being noticed – that they were exhausted from school and would rather go to bed especially early that night. No-one seemed to question it. _Good._

It was 9:40 when Ladybug arrived at the market they had agreed to meet at and, from the top of a building, she saw the boy was already there, fiddling with his fingernails nervously as he waited. She looked around, there were still quite a few citizens and tourists walking around the streets, which was expected as it was still early in the European capital.

In an attempt to make him notice her without causing too much of a ruckus, the heroine made use of her yoyo and threw it skillfully so that it would land right next to Adrien, who got the message and grabbed it discreetly. _Nice, now she waited for his signal and all she had to do was pull._

When he noticed no-one was looking, he pulled it gently, and was immediately carried to the top of the same building where she was. The whole thing went so naturally the heroine didn't even question how a normal civilian knew exactly how to react to her completely out of the ordinary call. _That was probably for the best_ , he thought.

"Um… Hi there!" she greeted as she played with her hair locks nervously. "I hope you don't mind being…" she gestured at her surroundings "here." Little did she know he was more than used to being in high places like that, a thought which made the boy smile warmly at her.

"Oh! Uh, i-it's ok!" he stammered. _Huh? Why was he stammering? He never did as Chat Noir…_

There was then a very long awkward moment between them, because neither wanted to break the silence. Adrien used the moment to study her features. After all, he had been close to her various times in the last few months – awfully close sometimes – but it was always in tense situations when he didn't get the time to actually do it.

He'd also never seen Ladybug make such an expression. She looked flustered, almost… vulnerable? _Could Adrien have that effect on her? No way, they barely knew each other._ He brushed it off, scolded himself for being cocky and cleared his throat before speaking.

"S-sorry for calling you here so suddenly. I… uh, have something I would like to tell you." Adrien said, unable to look her in the eye. The whole conversation had gone smoothly in his head. He would tell her he had always loved her and wanted to run away with her, maybe to a faraway island where they could be free as birds and raise a few hamsters together… Yes, it _definitely_ sounded better in his head.

Lost in thought, Ladybug held her gaze on his face, trying to study him. She was expecting him to simply thank her for saving him and his father recently. Perhaps ask how he could repay her, to which she would reply she didn't want anything from him, that his support was enough for her to keep doing her job every single day. _Damn, that sounded way too cheesy_.

Suddenly, the boy snapped back to reality, ran to her and held her hands. His actions startled her a little. His eyes sparkled with determination as he started speaking, never moving his gaze from her blue eyes, the deepest blue he could imagine.

"Ladybug, you are the best thing that happened to Paris. You are everyone's hopes and dreams, a symbol of justice and harmony we can all count on. It's thanks to you that we can breathe freely during the day and sleep peacefully during the night." he smiled.

The girl in spots smiled back at him. The conversation was going exactly as she was expecting. Adrien wanted to thank Ladybug for all her efforts in person and the thought of it made her unable to stop smiling and her face going pink. His gentleness really was one of a kind and it made her feel warm inside.

"But I'm not here to talk about the other Parisians." He proceeded, his tone suddenly lower, almost like a whisper. He never let go of her hands. "To me, Ladybug, you are so much more than that." Her eyes widened, she didn't understand.

"Over this last year, you became one of the most important people in my life. Every time I see you, my heart flutters and every time we are together, I feel like I can do anything." he cringed a little at that last statement, but it was the truth and the girl seemed to be so shocked she didn't say anything in return. He carried on.

"You may feel like this is coming out of nowhere, and I don't blame you for that." his eyes were set on the floor, he was sad he couldn't tell her the whole truth. "But the time we spent together made me realize…" he squeezed her hands tighter, looked deeply into her eyes and his lips curved into the sweetest smile she'd ever seen in her life. "I'm madly in love with you."

She held her breath.


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette couldn't sleep at all that night. The only thing on her mind was Adrien's completely unexpected confession and, before she realized it, it was morning and almost time to go to school.

As she was getting ready, the scene from the night before kept replaying in her head. The way his eyes sparkled as he spoke, the way he held her hands, the rosy hue that tinted his cheeks… she had never seen Adrien Agreste in that state, and she loved every single bit of it.

After the boy dropped such an atomic bomb, she was so stunned she couldn't make out a coherent sentence for about 2 minutes. It made him tell her she didn't need to give him an answer anytime soon, in an attempt to comfort her.

 _How embarrassing._ She had to pinch herself several times to make sure it wasn't all a dream. The fact that her crush liked her back was almost too good to be true.

However, as she was about to leave home to go to school, Marinette froze. She felt a sudden wave of sadness fill her, as she remembered her kwami's words a few hours before she met Adrien.

"I can't decide whether I'm happy or sad, Tikki… It is like you said. He loves Ladybug, not me." she muttered, her misty eyes set on her motionless feet, trying her best not to start crying for the first time since the confession.

"That's not true, Marinette!" the small creature retorted with her voice cracking a little from the guilt she felt. "You mustn't forget Ladybug is also you! I'm sorry I said those awful things yesterday… I really didn't mean them."

"It's alright. I understand why you said them and I don't resent you at all." she smiled at her friend, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her jacket carefully not to ruin her mascara. "But I don't think Ladybug is me, at least not the whole me, you know? She's super confident and rarely messes up, unlike…"

"The only thing your miraculous does is enhance your attributes. It gives you super agility and strength and even magical powers!" Tikki beamed, trying to cheer her up. "But Ladybug's personality is your personality. You're the same person on the inside!"

That made Marinette feel a bit better, but she couldn't help it but be slightly disappointed with the whole situation, and that made her feel remorseful. She knew she was Ladybug behind the mask, but Adrien didn't and would never guess it. _It didn't matter that she loved him back, as there was no way they could actually start dating, unless…_

"Absolutely not!" the kwami scolded angrily from inside the girl's purse. "You are not going to blow your cover because of a boy!"

"But it's the only way, Tikki!" she groaned, looking at both sides of the road before crossing it. She was walking abnormally fast given the time she still had before class started.

"You can't, Marinette. The miraculous holders' identities are supposed to be kept secret for everyone's safety, including yours!"

"I understand that, but I'm pretty sure Alya also knows Carapace is actually Nino." she argued, recalling the events from when her best friend's sister was akumatized. "She hasn't told anyone, despite being the person behind the Ladyblog! She had every reason to talk about it."

"But Alya is also Rena Rouge! You know how badly she wanted to be a super-hero since the first day. She knows Ladybug would never let her borrow her miraculous again if she broke the rules." the kwami stated, leaving the girl silent without a counter-argument.

Tikki was getting more and more nervous. She couldn't let her owner reveal her identity to her partner, especially due to the fact there was a small chance his father was Papillon. _They really couldn't take that risk, at least not for the time being._

The rest of their way to school was silent and, before they noticed, they were already at the entrance of _Françoise Dupont_. Marinette still had around 20 minutes before class started, so she considered tidying up her locker before heading to the classroom.

While she was reorganizing her binders in the locker room, she heard a certain boy's voice and, startled, let go of everything she was holding. She squeaked as all the pieces of paper fell on the floor and looked at her classmate like a deer in headlights.

"G-g-good m-morning, Ad-d-drien!" she stuttered more than usual. She scolded herself – _after all the progress they'd made! She couldn't let last night ruin it._

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." the boy apologized, certainly not expecting her reaction. He immediately kneeled down and started picking up the scattered papers on the floor and she proceeded to do the same, very awkwardly.

After gathering everything and putting it back in the binder, the two headed together to their classroom. Marinette noticed Adrien was more chatty than usual and definitely happy. _She wished she could say the same about herself,_ but she was glad she was the reason for his momentary happiness.

"You seem to be in a very good mood!" she tried, carefully. He smiled joyfully, a bit embarrassed that she noticed.

"I actually am! I went to bed early last night, so I'm feeling a lot more energized than usual!" he lied.

 _That was probably for the best,_ she thought, smiling back at him without saying another word.

The day had passed in a flash and, before Adrien noticed, it was already time to go home. Once the excitement of the previous night faded away, he finally had the time to sit down and think things through.

"She hasn't called." he mumbled while looking at his phone's lock screen, a bit disappointed.

"Seriously, it hasn't even been 24 hours! You just got home yourself and expect Ladybug to have found a way to call you in the meantime?" Plagg retorted, making an annoyed face at the boy's enthusiasm, who looked back at him, pensive.

The night before, he had given the heroine a piece of paper with his phone number and personal email in it. It hadn't even crossed his mind that she wouldn't be able to contact him using her own cellphone, because that would immediately reveal her identity. She would have to use a public phone or something inconvenient like that. _Way to go, Adrien,_ he thought, slightly frustrated at himself.

"You're right, I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I should buy her a phone so that we can chat whenever we want without worries." he suggested.

"Nah, that would be super creepy. I think she'd appreciate it more if you got her something more useful, like cheese! Cheese never disappoints." the kwami answered sarcastically, proceeding to laugh obnoxiously at his own joke. "Seriously, though, that would be a little too much."

The boy sighed in agreement and sat at his computer desk. No emails from Ladybug, it seemed. Nothing he could do, if she wanted to contact him, she knew how. _He just had to wait._

What he had in his inbox, however, was a reminder of a photoshoot he would be doing next week, for _Gabriel_ 's summer line. It would include a few swimsuit shots he would have to do with Sylvie D'Airelle, which he was completely fine with, as she was always the chosen model whenever his father needed to showcase any clothing for women. She was easy to work with and just a cheerful person overall, so that made the job more enjoyable.

The email contained a post-scriptum written by Gabriel Agreste himself, stating the boy could bring his classmate to watch the photoshoot, like he had requested. _Why couldn't he tell him himself when they lived together? Why send an email?_

Adrien shook his head at the distance his father made sure to set between them but grinned at the message itself. After he told Marinette he'd take her to watch a photoshoot someday, a few months before, he had been asking his father about it every now and then. He finally had his permission and really wanted to let her know.

He thought about calling her about it, but figured it was already way past dinner time and he didn't know what time she usually went to sleep. Plus, it would be a lot more amusing to see her reaction face to face. He could even tease her about getting a few exclusive shots of him for her bedroom wall collection.

He chuckled as he imagined the girl's silly reaction and felt a comfortable warmth fill him, something he had been feeling a lot recently when it came to her. He was glad he could be friends with such a wonderful person and, with that thought in mind, he turned off his computer and went to sleep.

However, he spent that night tossing and turning, suddenly thinking about what he should do regarding Ladybug. He still owed her an explanation as Chat Noir for leaving suddenly in mid-battle, but he didn't really want to have that conversation.

Even if he did find an excuse to give her, what would she say about it? Would she be mad, furious, disappointed? Would she call him careless and irresponsible? Would she tell him he wasn't good enough? She probably wouldn't, but he couldn't help it but imagine she'd think of him like that…

On the other hand, his advances on her as Adrien seemed to have gone smoothly. She might have not contacted him yet, but he felt like he got his point across and she reacted pretty well to it.

As Chat Noir, she had clearly told him she didn't like him that way and already loved someone else.

Suddenly, it hit him. Ladybug hadn't mentioned the person she loved to him.

What if she didn't because she hadn't taken his confession seriously enough? What if, to her, he was just another fanboy who wanted the heroine's attention? A celebrity crush or even worse, what if she thought he only wanted to get close to her for his own gain? He was pretty famous himself, after all. Maybe she was laughing at him that very moment. _No way, it wasn't like that and he knew it._ But he couldn't help it but ask "what if...?"

The more he dwelled on it, the more anxious he became. He realized he needed someone's input on the subject or else he'd probably go insane. With that thought in mind, he finally fell asleep.

The next day, after a pretty uneventful morning of uninteresting classes, it was finally lunch time and Marinette found herself all alone after Alya ditched her to be with Nino. The two had been dating for a while now, but actually thought no-one knew about it. _That's cute, but they didn't have to leave her all alone like that, those meanies…_

"Hey there, Marinette! Do you have a minute?" she heard Adrien call, which made her jump.

"Hi! S-sure, what's up?" she greeted, pretending she wasn't totally sulking before he showed up.

"Remember that time when they broadcasted that TV-show at your place and showed everyone your collection of-" he teased before he was interrupted by an inhuman shriek.

"YES, EVERYONE REMEMBERS THAT!" she shouted, covering her ridiculously red face with her hands "you don't have to mention it…" she added shyly, making his lips curve into a devilish grin. He was enjoying the girl's embarrassment a little too much and didn't really understand why.

"Well, guess what! My father gave me permission to take you to watch a photoshoot next week, how's that?" he added, excitedly.

Marinette's expression went from ashamed to overly enthusiastic in a split second, and he found it adorable, so he decided to tease a little more.

"It's going to feature yours truly in swimwear." he added, winking. Her face went back to its previous radish state in the same split second and he couldn't help it but burst out laughing.

After both of them calmed down, Marinette noticed the boy kept checking his phone and sighing, so she decided to ask him about it.

"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just waiting for a text…" he said, sadly.

She immediately realized he must have been talking about Ladybug and felt a bit guilty. Truth was she hadn't contacted him yet because she really didn't know what to say. She really wanted to tell Adrien she felt the same way about him, but dating didn't seem like an option when he didn't know about her true identity.

"I guess the person is just too busy to say something." the boy added, obviously looking like he wanted her to ask about it, even without realizing it.

"Is the person Kagami? She's probably in school right now." Marinette decided to take the bait.

His eyes widened and he shook his head. That's right, Marinette had helped him before with Kagami and he never gave her any updates on the subject. He suddenly felt an urge to tell her everything that had happened with the heroine.

"No, things between us didn't work out before they even started." he smiled apologetically and the girl couldn't stop herself from feeling triumphant about it.

Adrien debated internally whether he should tell her about it or not for a few seconds. After all, she was a good friend and he knew he could trust her. Maybe she could even give him some good advice, like she did when he told her he was interested in Kagami. Heck, she'd even offered to accompany him on his date because he was too scared to go alone.

"This is actually a different girl." _come on, tell her!_ "I have liked her for a long time now."

"Do I know this girl?" Marinette asked without missing a beat. She looked into his eyes intensely, like all her shyness had faded. She wanted him to tell her.

"I guess" he shrugged. "The whole city knows her, to be honest."

He took a deep breath and looked at the girl in front of him. He wanted someone to talk to so badly and Marinette was so nice. He couldn't really explain it, but, in that moment, talking to her seemed like the only reasonable thing to do.

"It's actually Ladybug." he finally blurted out, blushing a little.


	3. Chapter 3

"L-ladybug?" Marinette repeated, pretending to be surprised. She suddenly found herself unable to look him in the eye, and instead kept her gaze on the people who filled the school halls.

He nodded shyly, his eyes desperately trying to find hers, looking for any sign of empathy. It's not like he thought his friend would judge him, _she wasn't like that_ , and he wasn't exactly ashamed of his feelings, but saying them out loud made him unexplainably embarrassed.

"But how?" she asked, finally turning her gaze to his rosy face. "How did you even meet her?"

"I… have been able to watch her up close for a while now." he answered, speaking slowly so that he didn't say anything unnecessary. "She's saved me a couple times and we were able to talk. She's a wonderful person, she's-"

"A super heroine." Marinette interrupted dryly, without even stuttering. "She worries for all Parisians' safety and puts on a tough act in front of the people she saves."

The girl didn't even know why she was saying such hurtful things to Adrien, especially when they were about herself. It's as if she was testing him, because she couldn't understand just what the boy saw in her alter ego apart from the pseudo-fake side she wanted people to see.

Ladybug was like an entity, she was whatever people needed her to be. So, Marinette pushed him for answers. On one hand she knew the best scenario would be him giving up on her after realizing his "love" was nothing more than admiration, but, on the other, she desperately wanted him to prove her wrong. She tested him because she wanted him to pass.

"It's not like that!" the boy quickly retorted. He immediately realized his tone was probably too intense and set his eyes on the ground, scratching his neck nervously.

"I know she is a genuinely nice person who tries her best every single day. She might be only our age, but the weight she carries on her shoulders is heavier than most adults' and she is so aware of it. Yet, she never gives up and makes sure she does her job with a smile at all times. She's incredibly stubborn and sometimes refuses to ask for help, but everything she does is for everyone's sake. Her selflessness actually worries me sometimes…"

His eyes met a silent Marinette, who looked like she had just seen a UFO. That made him blush a little, as he realized his rambling probably sounded like nonsense to an outsider like her.

"That and the fact that she is incredibly pretty and badass." Adrien joked, trying to lighten the mood and somehow distract the girl. _He needed to be more careful not to blow his cover to anyone. Not even Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the nicest girl he knew, could know he was actually Chat Noir._

Marinette couldn't really say anything for several moments. She had never even imagined Adrien would feel that way about Ladybug, especially when their meetings seemed so short. The fact that he got so much information about her from those moments alone and probably cherished them in his heart made her heart flutter and her cheeks blush like mad. He really was an incredible person, to be able to understand her better than most citizens, just like that.

"I… H-had no idea… You were so close." she managed to mutter in between deep breaths. He chuckled nervously in return.

"It's not like we're THAT close. I just had the opportunity to really observe her."

Marinette looked at the boy in front of her. She'd wanted to convince him to stop pursuing the heroine. She desperately wanted to tell him he didn't stand a chance, that he had no idea who she really was and that made a relationship something impossible. However, she couldn't bring herself to shatter his hopes, most likely because, after listening to him, she had them herself.

"What are you going to do now? You don't know her identity… do you?"

"I don't." the boy sighed "I wish I did, though! I feel like it would make things so much easier…" he then shrugged. He didn't know what exactly knowing would make easier, as he didn't even know how she felt about him yet.

"If she does like you back, do you think things can work out… without you knowing?" she asked, carefully. His answer would probably play a big role in her decision as well.

Adrien looked at her, surprised. He hadn't actually thought of that. He was so used to having Ladybug around him all the time, being close friends with her as Chat Noir, that a romantic relationship being a different case hadn't even crossed his mind.

How would they work it out? How could they make things actually function between them when both had to hide half of their lives from each other? If they started dating, he would probably need to start acting differently towards her as Chat Noir too, and that could be awkward. Did he want that? Would he be willing to wake up every day knowing his girlfriend could literally be any girl he saw on the street? Knowing that she saw him, but he didn't see her?

"I… don't know." he mumbled, turning to Marinette looking as lost as a sheep who was denied its shepherd. She noticed his tone and kept her serious gaze on his eyes, waiting for a different answer.

They remained silent for a few moments, both processing everything that was happening. Suddenly, Adrien giggled at how silly the whole situation was. He placed his hand gently on the girl's shoulder and smiled in defeat.

"All I know is that I love and trust her with all my heart. I will respect her decision, whatever it is, and will do my best to make it work out in the end, because she is worth it."

All she managed to do in return was nod, her face probably redder than the heroine's suit. Ladybug really was _the luckiest_.

After having dinner and spending a while in the living room with her parents watching TV, Marinette went back to her room. She knew she had to somehow contact Adrien as soon as possible.

The conversation they had at lunch break gave her hope, and she had to admit hearing such nice things about herself coming from his mouth felt really good. She recalled his soft expression as he talked about Ladybug, how gentle his eyes looked… She had to muffle her fangirl-like squeaks with one of her endless bed pillows, or else her parents would hear them downstairs.

She wanted to call him so badly, tell him she felt the same way. That she was willing to work things out with him, even if he didn't know her identity… But was she really? How could she do it, knowing her boyfriend would only love half of her?

"Don't worry, Marinette!" Tikki cheered, patting the girl on the head, her face still buried in girly pillows. "You heard Adrien! Isn't that great that you can date him without risking revealing your identity?"

Her identity. There it was again, the elephant in the room, lurking unfairly. _No, it wasn't great at all._

The girl sat at her desk and began writing an email to Adrien, after she created a new address especially for it. _She didn't expect it to be so hard to find a handle with the word "ladybug" in it. She really was popular_ , she thought, giggling a little.

About an hour later, after re-reading her words around 100 times and making sure she got his address right another 100, Marinette finally hit send and immediately closed the browser in order to resist the temptation to keep the tab open, waiting for his reply. She looked tenderly at her stalkerish desktop wallpaper for a while before turning off her computer and going to sleep.

 _And now she waited._

.

The next morning, Marinette was almost tackled by a very excited Adrien Agreste at the school entrance. As they still had time before class, the boy almost dragged her to the empty locker room, announcing he had something to tell her.

The sky was especially clear that day, and the bright sun rays that came through the windows were reflected on the model's golden locks, making them look even more beautiful than usual. Marinette blushed at a sudden urge to touch his hair and feel how soft it actually was, but she controlled her impulses and simply asked him what he wanted to talk about.

"She emailed me!" he beamed proudly "Ladybug told me she wants to know me better! We're meeting today!"

His enthusiasm was a delight to look at, and the girl savored the moment with a smile. He was so happy, she'd never seen him smile like that, and the fact that he'd chosen her, of all people, to share his happiness with was one of the most rewarding moments she'd ever shared with the boy she was in love with.

They chatted for a while and discussed the details of his first date, of _their_ first date. Adrien would tell Natalie he had to work on an assignment with a classmate – Marinette in this case – after school and Ladybug would meet him in one of the empty classrooms so that they could spend a few hours together. Then, his chauffer would come pick him up on time for dinner at home.

As they finished typing out and emailing her the plan on his smartphone, the school bell rang and they went to class.

"Thank you for offering to cover up for me, Marinette!" he caressed her shoulder "You're a great friend."

She gave him a crooked smile, trying to hide how much that little comment had hurt her. _Things could be so much easier… if only he knew._

After school was over for the day, they pretended to head for the library, like planned. The girl actually got in while Adrien turned around and headed for the building's last floor, opening a window of a now empty classroom. A few minutes later, Ladybug appeared and he texted Marinette to tell her everything was going according to plan.

"Hi there." she said, sitting shyly on one of the desks.

He smiled sweetly in return and scratched his neck, happy to see her. "How are you?"

.

They talked about many things.

He told her about his life after school and his tight schedules, and she pretended she didn't know them by heart already. She also told him a little bit about her life in school and how hard it was to balance both her superhero duties with her civilian life sometimes, and he pretended he didn't know exactly what it felt like.

While they were together, all of their problems seemed to fade. Marinette felt so comfortable talking to him behind the mask she almost forgot she was usually a nervous tragedy around him. Adrien forgot he still had a lot of explaining to do to her as Chat Noir and how much he didn't want to have that conversation. It was like they were the only people in the world, inside that classroom. He also found it extremely hard not to make flirtatious remarks every now and then, but he somehow managed.

Those three hours passed in a flash and, before they knew it, their surroundings acquired an orange hue. It was already 7pm when the boy's buzzing phone interrupted their passionate discussion about Jagged Stone's latest single.

"It's my chauffer, I have to go" he said, gloomily. Ladybug couldn't help it but giggle at his puppy eyes fixed on the screen, pleading for 5 more minutes with her.

"It's ok! I also have to get going." she replied, looking at the time on her yoyo. "It's almost dinner time and I still have homework to do." They kept staring at each other very awkwardly, not really knowing what to do or say.

She broke the silence, opening the classroom window and saying she'd email him later before leaving through it. He started at the window for a few seconds after she left. He couldn't believe the whole thing was working.

Before heading to his car, Adrien stopped by the library, where he saw Marinette had already left. He figured she would have, but for some reason he felt the need to check on her.

"Marinette didn't answer my text either. I hope she's ok…" he muttered.

"You really expected her to just wait for you to finish your stupid date with another girl?" Plagg barfed from his shirt's pocket.

Not really. After all, she'd already helped him enough by covering up for him, in case someone asked about it.

"You just really wanted to see her, didn't you?" the kwami teased "You should be careful with how you treat girls, Casanova"

"Oh, shut up! It's not like that!" the boy defended himself "I just wanted to make sure she'd already left. Imagine if she hadn't! It would be just rude to leave without telling her!"

"Keep telling yourself that." the tiny cat retorted, mockingly.

Deep down, Plagg found the whole situation extremely entertaining. Out of every classmate his owner could have picked to help him get close to Ladybug, he chose Ladybug herself, who happened to have a major crush on him!

"I really don't get you teenage humans." he added.

"And you really don't have to. Let's just go home." Adrien sighed, heading for the exit.


	4. Chapter 4

Three days had passed since Ladybug's first "date" with Adrien and they had been together once more since then, during the weekend. Marinette couldn't believe she was finally spending time with the boy she liked so frequently. It felt almost… unreal.

They spent a lot of time in awkward silence and mostly spoke about trivial things, as they were only starting to get to know each other and couldn't really be considered friends yet, but the girl already felt like she was getting more comfortable around him and believed the same was true for him. She felt like there could be a chance for their relationship to progress to something more intimate if things kept going this way.

She hadn't realized it yet, but _that thought terrified her_.

.

On Mondays, they had French class with Miss Bustier in the morning. Marinette really liked the subject, but she just couldn't concentrate that day, as she couldn't stop glancing at Adrien sitting in front of her every other minute. He'd been looking so happy lately, probably due to the time spent with Ladybug. She was really happy about it, but she felt her stomach tie in a knot every now and then. Deep down, she wanted to be with him herself, not behind a mask.

She wanted him to look forward to spending time with her, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and not the heroine who always had to be extra careful around him, not to say anything that could give away her identity.

The girl played with her pale pink mechanical pencil as she stared at the boy's blond hair, completely disconnected from the real world and whatever her teacher was saying. She wondered how he'd react if he found out he'd been going out with her all along, the nice girl who sat behind him in most classes.

Would he be disappointed? Probably not, Adrien was as sweet and understanding as they could get. He never missed an opportunity to praise her and make her feel good about herself, so he'd probably be happy that "Awesome Marinette" was actually "Awesome Ladybug" as well. At least she hoped.

As she kept zoning out, thinking of possible identity reveal scenarios – which didn't seem like such a stupid idea anymore, despite what Tikki said – Alya brought her back to reality, snapping her fingers right in front of her eyes.

"Wake up, girl!" she whispered, "It feels like you're trying to make his head explode with your mind or something, the way you're staring at it so intensely!"

Marinette was so taken aback by her friend's words she dropped her mechanical pencil, which fell to the side of her desk and rolled all the way down to Adrien's bag. The boy noticed and rapidly picked it up and turned around to face her, smiling sweetly.

When they found themselves in that position, she felt like the world stopped. Her blue eyes took in his gentle expression as he held the mechanical pencil in front of her, her cheeks went pink. They didn't move for what seemed like an eternity.

"Adrien, don't turn around during class." Miss Bustier interrupted calmly, clearing her throat before speaking, "You can talk to your friend Marinette during break time, so please pay attention now. This part is very important and will come up in the test!"

The boy blushed when he snapped back to reality and put the mechanical pencil back on her desk awkwardly before turning around. Alya raised an eyebrow, skeptically, and Marinette could swear he had been staring at her as well for a moment. She then discarded the thought, blaming it on her imagination and feelings towards him. She could hear Rose's high-pitched giggles on the opposite side of the class and feel Chloe's intense glare on her face.

Around twenty minutes later that felt like an eternity, class was over and it was break time. Before Marinette and Alya could head to the toilets, Nino turned to them.

"Hey girls, wanna join us for lunch today?" he asked, raising his chin in Adrien's direction, including him in the plan. The blonde boy's eyes widened and he nodded in agreement, smiling like an excited child at the idea of having lunch with his friends. _So cute_ , she thought.

"Sure" the girl with glasses replied for both of them, without missing a beat or even glancing at her friend, "At the usual bench?"

"At the usual bench." he grinned before the girls headed for the door.

Once at the toilets, Alya smirked maliciously to Marinette.

"Isn't it great? You'll be able to continue whatever that was you were doing during class just now." she winked. Marinette's cheeks went pink in a split second and she immediately covered them with her trembling hands. She looked like she would crumble any time soon from the embarrassment.

"Alya! Don't tease me like that!" she pleaded, looking around to make sure they really were alone in there.

.

Two classes later, the group of friends headed for the spot they agreed to have lunch at. Alya made sure she sat on the edge and pulled Nino by the arm to sit next to her, so that the other two had no choice but to sit together. Adrien didn't seem to notice the girl's mischievous plan, but Marinette surely did and thanked her with a shy nod, because she knew she wouldn't have had the guts to sit next to him on her own.

As they had lunch, Alya browsed the _Le Parisien_ app on her smartphone and read a few news she found interesting out loud so that they could all discuss them afterwards.

The red-haired girl was aware her goal of becoming a journalist wouldn't become a reality unless she worked for it, so keeping up with the news was the least she could do. Plus, she enjoyed it. Marinette and Nino were used to it, as it was a recurring thing with her, but Adrien was pleasantly surprised by it, because he was used to seeing kids their age not care about newspapers or even about what happened around them.

"It seems like Audrey Bourgeois tried to sue some American airline for losing her luggage." the girl said, not taking her eyes off her phone while she ate her sandwich, "After I saw how she acted at Adrien's dad's runway, I can't even begin to imagine how she responded to it." she chuckled.

Marinette sighed, remembering the events of said event and how she still couldn't believe how such a ruthless woman had taken a liking to her and her designs.

"Nothing happened in the end, though." Alya added, a little disappointed.

" _Guess she lost her case, then"_ Adrien replied in English. Nino actually snorted at the pun and gave him a thumbs up.

The two girls, however, froze.

They started at him, lips parted, eyes wide, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Adrien Agreste telling jokes seemed like a concept absolutely alien to them.

The boy started looking gradually more uncomfortable at their reaction to his joke. He started rubbing his neck, lips pursed and cheeks growing red. ' _Was it too much to say something so silly? Did he say something he shouldn't have? Maybe they weren't close enough friends for him to show his jokester side yet? Did they even consider him a friend in the first place?'_ he started freaking out.

It was Alya who broke the extremely awkward silence that followed.

"I never thought of you as a joke-telling kind of guy!" she beamed, sounding as pleased as she could, suddenly aware of how horribly their reaction must have made him feel.

"Really?" Nino asked, swallowing the last bit of his baguette, "We joke around all the time, dude!"

"Well, I kinda dig it!" she added with a confident smile, "You should do it more often, right, Marinette?"

Marinette wasn't sure about how to react. She hadn't actually gotten the joke, as her English skills weren't the best – she wasn't good at foreign languages in general, truth to be told – but she understood enough to get that was a… pun? Really? She blinked twice before her focus went back to her friends, who restlessly waited for an answer.

"S-Sure!" she said quickly, sounding totally unconvincing, "I was just really surprising, uh- I mean, surprised! I was really surprised!" she started stammering, getting redder by the second and moving her hands around, as if trying to hold on to something, anything.

Adrien's shoulders dropped and his disappointment was obvious. Marinette quickly glanced at Alya, who looked like she could murder her at any second. She felt awful, so she felt the need to redeem for it.

"I-it's a good thing!" she managed to blurt out, face red as a tomato.

"We're just glad you're finally loosening up around us." Alya intervened to save her, who just nodded over-enthusiastically in agreement.

The boy's tension then seemed to dissipate and his lips curved into a small, relieved smile.

.

Back at home, Marinette kept rolling back and forth on her desk chair. Tikki was napping on her pillows peacefully, but the girl couldn't be more distressed.

She was still flabbergasted about the revelation at lunch break. _Adrien is a jokester._ The idea seemed so out of this world that she didn't really know how to react to it. He wasn't like that, or at least… She never _imagined_ he was like that.

The girl looked around her bedroom, pictures of the boy scattered around the walls. She stared at them in disbelief. _What else did she not know about him? So many things, probably…_ She started fidgeting with her fingers nervously.

This seemingly small detail about her crush was something that made her very nervous. Inside her head, Adrien was a shy boy who, sure, probably enjoyed joking around like everyone else, but… Making puns? _Seriously?_

It made her realize just how little she actually knew him.

During their meetings as Ladybug, Adrien had always been so cheerful and seemed so relaxed, especially when he talked excitedly about the things he liked. Yet, he had not once told a joke or made a pun. _Why?_

She thought they were getting closer, but could that not be the case?

Could he be holding back with her like he did with any other stranger?

Suddenly, her thoughts drifted towards Chat Noir. She always thought of the two boys as complete opposites, but it seemed like they were more similar than she had thought.

The girl sighed.

Chat Noir hadn't contacted her in almost a week, since the last akuma attack. She'd been too busy lately to do patrols, because all her free time went towards meeting up with Adrien. It had been her choice, but now she was having serious doubts about it.

It felt like everything was working against her lately.

First, her partner disappeared without saying anything, leaving her to deal with an akuma on her own. _Awful._

However, immediately after, her long-time crush confessed to her! _Awesome!_

But then she found out her crush isn't exactly who she thought he was… _Awful!_

Before such negative thoughts got to escalate into pure chaos, her attention was brought to an email notification popping up on her computer screen. An email from Adrien.

" _ **Dear Ladybug,**_

 _ **I know we were together just yesterday and I hope I am not bothering you by writing again so soon, but I would like you to know that my Chinese class tomorrow was cancelled! Seems like my teacher is travelling and will only be back next week!**_

 _ **That means I have about an hour before dinner, so we can hang out if you want to! No pressure, though! It's totally alright if you can't or don't want to, I understand!**_

 _ **Anyway, just tell me if you'd like to meet up so that I can find an excuse to give at home! Maybe I'll ask my friend Marinette to cover up for me again! Remember, no pressure! :))**_

 _ **All the best!**_

 _ **Adrien"**_

If the situation was different, she'd have giggled at his cute email, full of exclamation marks that clearly showed how nervous and just out of touch with the world he was. However, as things were now, Marinette couldn't help but compare her situation to his, only the roles were reversed.

The boy's idea of Ladybug was probably no different from hers of him. Something twisted to fit an ideal based on the little information they actually had about each other.

And probably far from the truth.

It's not like she could blame Adrien for holding back when he met with Ladybug, because she did exactly the same thing. The whole situation depressed her because they both only showed each other the side they wanted to show, and that was not healthy.

Such secrets were not healthy.

But it's not like she could just tell him her identity, right?... She hadn't told Chat Noir either, in order to protect them both against any harm. Giving her identity away like that would be dangerous.

But then again, if Ladybug were to actually date Adrien, wouldn't he be in danger? Wouldn't Hawkmoth eventually find out the super heroine had a love interest – who also happened to be pretty famous himself – and target him?

If he knew her identity, he could be willing to date normal girl Marinette and then he wouldn't be in danger. Plus, it wouldn't be as risky as telling Chat Noir, because Adrien wasn't even involved in the whole akuma-fighting madness. As long as he didn't tell anyone, telling him would be the safest option.

It sounded reasonable.

The girl glanced at Tikki, who kept sleeping soundly on her bed. She felt terrible but decided she wouldn't tell her about it. Revealing herself to the model was the most harmless option and she trusted him.

" **Dear Adrien,**

 **I would love to hang out with you tomorrow before dinner! Tell me what time and place works best for you and I will be there without fail.**

 **Also, there is something I would like to talk to you about. It's nothing to worry about, though, I promise! :)**

 **See you tomorrow!**

 **Ladybug"**


End file.
